Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb is an American animated comedy television series. Originally broadcast as a one-episode preview on August 17, 2007 and again previewed on September 28, 2007, the series officially premiered on February 1, 2008 on Nickelodeon, running until June 12, 2015. The program follows Phineas Flynn and his stepbrother Ferb Fletcher on summer vacation. Every day, the boys embark on some grand new project; these are usually unrealistic given the protagonists' ages (and are sometimes downright physically impossible), which annoys their controlling sister, Candace, who frequently tries to reveal their shenanigans to her and Phineas' mother, Linda Flynn-Fletcher, and less frequently to Ferb's father, Lawrence Fletcher. The series follows a standard plot system: running gags occur every episode, and the b-plotalmost always features Phineas and Ferb's pet platypus Perry the Platypus working as a spy (named "Agent P") for OWCA (the Organization Without a Cool Acronym), to defeat the latest scheme of Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, a mad scientist driven largely by a need to assert his evilness (although he is not especially evil and has a good heart in some situations.) The two plots intersect at the end to erase all traces of the boys' project just before Candace can show it to their mother. This usually leaves Candace very frustrated. Creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh had previously worked together on Nickelodeon's other show Rocko's Modern Life. The creators also voice two of the main B-plot characters: Major Monogram and Dr. Doofenshmirtz. Phineas and Ferb was conceived after Povenmire sketched a triangular boy – the prototype for Phineas – in a restaurant. Povenmire and Marsh developed the series concept together and pitched it to networks for 16 years before securing a run on Nickelodeon. On August 25, 2011, the show was picked up for a fourth and final season on Nickelodeon, later known to be 37 episodes, a possible spin-off on Isabella and the Fireside Girls and a feature film for the series. The series also had a live show that was shown in over 80 different cities across the United States. It is the fifth longest running Nicktoon (behind SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents, Dylan and TJ, and Rugrats). On July 25, 2014, Dan and Swampy announced that there are 20 unaired episodes of Season 4 left that haven't aired yet. Afterward, they will take their first hiatus in 8 years. The series ended after the hiatus in favor for the new spin-off series Milo Murphy's Law, which first aired in 2016 on Disney XD, which takes place in the same universe as Phineas and Ferb. The series' run ended on June 12, 2015 with its series finale special episode. Despite ending in 2015, the show has received generally very positive reviews. Plot The show follows the adventures of stepbrothers Phineas Flynn (Vincent Martella) and Ferb Fletcher (Thomas Sangster), who live in the fictional city of Danville, in a (never specified) tri-state area, as they seek ways to occupy their time during their summer vacation. Often these adventures involve elaborate, life-sized and ostensibly dangerous construction projects. Phineas's older sister, Candace Flynn (Ashley Tisdale), has two obsessions: "busting" Phineas and Ferb's schemes and ideas, and winning the attention of a boy named Jeremy (Mitchel Musso).3 Meanwhile, the boys' pet platypus, Perry, acts as a secret agent for an all-animal government organization45 called the O.W.C.A. ("Organization Without a Cool Acronym"), fighting Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz.6 Much of the series' humor relies on running gags used in almost every episode, with slight variation.7 Most episodes follow a pattern: * Some incident gives Phineas an idea for a project, and he announces, "Hey Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today!" * Meanwhile, Perry slips away, using one of many hidden tunnels, to a secret underground base. Phineas (or occasionally another character) remarks, "Hey, where's Perry?" * Major Monogram briefs Perry (whom he calls "Agent P") on his mission; this sometimes amounts to nothing more than "Doctor Doofenshmirtz is up to something; find out what it is, and put a stop to it!" * Candace sees what the boys are doing, and resolves to tell her Mom to "bust them". * Perry breaks into the skyscraper office of Doofenshmirtz Evil Inc. (complete with its own easy listening jingle, and variations depending on location and time). Doofenshmirtz traps Perry and explains his current evil plan. Perry escapes the trap and they battle. * Phineas and Ferb complete their project. * Mom gets home and Candace thinks that, at last, Mom will see what the boys have been up to and believe her, but just as Mom is about to step into the back yard, all evidence vanishes, usually as a side effect of Doofenshmirtz's device.67 * Doofenshmirtz, foiled again, cries out, "Curse you, Perry the Platypus!" Other running gags: * An adult asks Phineas if he is rather young to be performing some complex activities; he responds, "Yes, yes, I am" (although the adult never tries to stop the boys from their fun, and Phineas usually has all legal clearance for his ideas to be executed, including building permits.) * Doofenshmirtz's names for his contraptions all have the same suffix, "-inator", as in Shrinkinator, Giant Dog Biscuit-inator, "Eradicate Rodney's -Inator", etc.1 Eventually he starts calling them "inators" as a generic term. * Doofenshmirtz has a daughter, Vanessa, who generally finds his work boring, but sometimes tries to prove to her mother that he is evil. Like Candace, she always fails. * Ferb rarely speaks more than once in an episode. * Garden gnomes are often seen or used as plot points. * Isabella, who has a crush on Phineas, comes into the backyard and asks, "Whatcha doin'?" in a distinctive singsong tone. ** She doesn't like it when other characters (besides Phineas) say that line. For example, in "Suddenly Suzy", after both Suzy and Candace speak that line, Isabella grumbles "Uh, hello!?" and "Do I even need to be here?", respectively. Aspects of the show's humor are aimed at adults,8 including its frequent pop-cultural references.9 Co-creator Dan Povenmire, who had previously worked on Family Guy, sought to create a less raunchy show that would make similar use of comic timing, metahumor, humorous blank stares, wordplay and breaking the fourth wall.10 Povenmire describes the show as a combination of Family Guy and SpongeBob SquarePants.11 Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, the other co-creator, said the show was not created just for kids; he simply did not exclude them as an audience.8 Episodes Main article: List of Phineas and Ferb episodes Characters Main article: List of Phineas and Ferb characters The series' main characters live in a blended family, a premise the creators considered underused in children's programming and which reflected Marsh's own upbringing. Marsh considers explaining the family background "not important to the kids' lives. They are a great blended family and that's all we need to know."14 The choice of a platypus as the boys' pet was similarly inspired by media underuse, as well as to exploit the animal's striking appearance.13 The platypus also gives them freedom to "make stuff up" since "no one knows very much about them."14 An additional reason for choosing a platypus allowed them to own that "mental real estate", so that if a person thinks "platypus", they'll associate it with "Agent P", just as an ogre is now commonly associated with Shrek.15 Marsh called the characters "cool, edgy and clever without ... being mean-spirited." Animation director Rob Hughes is said to have noted that "in all the other shows every character is either stupid or a jerk, but there are no stupid characters or jerks in this one."3 Music The series is known for some of its memorable songs, which appeared in almost every episode since the first-season "Flop Starz". Disney's executives particularly enjoyed the episode's song, "Gitchee, Gitchee Goo", and requested that a song appear in each subsequent episode.3 The music earned the series a total of four Emmy nominations: in 2008 for the main title theme and for the song "I Ain't Got Rhythm" from the episode "Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together",16 and then in 2010 for the song "Come Home Perry" from the episode "Oh, There You Are, Perry" as well as one for its score. Phineas and Ferb follows structural conventions Povenmire and Marsh developed while writing Rocko's Modern Life, whereby each episode features "a song or a musical number, plus a big action/chase scene".3 Both creators had musical backgrounds, as Povenmire performed rock and roll in his college years17 and Marsh's grandfather was the bandleader Les Brown.8 The creators' original pitch to Disney emphasized Perry's signature "secret agent theme" and the song "Gitchee Gitchee Goo" from "Flop Starz". Disney's managers enjoyed the songs and asked Povenmire and Marsh to write one for each episode.3 The songs span many genres, from 16th-century madrigals to Broadway show tunes.3 Each is written in an intensive session during episode production: a concept, score, and lyrics are developed quite quickly.18 Together, Marsh and Povenmire can "write a song about almost anything" and in only one hour at most.14 After they finish writing the song, Povenmire and Marsh sing it over the answering machine of series composer Danny Jacob on Friday nights. By the following Monday, the song is fully produced.19 The title sequence music, originally named 'Today Is Gonna Be a Great Day' and performed by the American group Bowling for Soup,6 was nominated for an Emmy award in 2008.16 The creators originally wrote a slower number, more like a "classic Disney song", but the network felt changes were needed to especially appeal to children and commissioned a rock version which made the final cut.2 A season 2 clip show broadcast in October 2009 focused on the music of Phineas and Ferb, featuring a viewer-voted top-10 of songs from the series; the end result was the "Phineas and Ferb's Musical Cliptastic Countdown."20 This clip show had a sequel, called the "Phineas and Ferb Musical Cliptastic Countdown Hosted by Kelly Osbourne". Kelly Osbourne hosted the special in live form, while Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Major Monogram were animated. It aired on June 28, 2013.21 Origins Early inspirations Dan Povenmire attributes the show's genesis to growing up in Mobile, Alabama, where his mother told him never to waste a day of summer. To occupy himself, Povenmire undertook projects such as hole-digging and home movie-making. Povenmire recalled, "My mom let me drape black material all the way across one end of our living room to use as a space field. I would hang little models of spaceships for these little movies I made with a Super 8 camera."1222 He was an artistic prodigy and displayed his very detailed drawings at art shows.17 Meanwhile, Marsh grew up in a large, blended family.8 As with Povenmire, Marsh spent his summers exploring and taking part in several activities in order to have fun.3 Conception While attending the University of Southern California, Povenmire started a daily comic strip called Life Is a Fish, and received money from the merchandise that was designed based on his series. Povenmire eventually dropped out and started drawing people on street corners to make a living, until he was finally called by Tommy Chong to work on a short bit of animation in the film Far Out Man. Povenmire began to take up animation professionally, working on shows such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.17 Marsh had become a vice president of sales and marketing for a computer company, until he "freaked out" and decided to quit. His friend helped him put together a portfolio and go into the animation business.8 Povenmire and Marsh eventually started working across from each other as layout artists on The Simpsons. The two bonded over mutual tastes in humor and music, becoming fast friends. They continued their working relationship at Nickelodeon as a writing team on Rocko's Modern Life,1 where they conceived the idea for their own series.1While eating dinner at a Wild Thyme restaurant in South Pasadena, California, Povenmire drew a quick sketch of a "triangle kid" on butcher paper.10 He tore it out and called Marsh that night to report, "Hey, I think we have our show."13 The triangle doodle sparked rapid development of characters and designs.10 Povenmire decided that his sketch "looked like a Phineas", and named Ferb after a friend who "owns more tools than anyone in the world."23 The creators based their character designs on angular shapes in homage to MGM/Warner Bros. animator/director Tex Avery, adding geometric shapes to the backgrounds for continuity. Pitching and pickup Their early attempts to pitch the show failed and, though they remained committed to the concept, Povenmire and Marsh began to drift apart after their work on Rocko's. Marsh moved to London and worked on shows including Postman Pat and Bounty Hamster. Povenmire began working on the primetime Fox series Family Guy,1 as well as another Nickelodeon series SpongeBob SquarePants ''(at the time Nickelodeon's most popular show), always carrying a ''Phineas and Ferb portfolio13 for convenient pitching to networks like Cartoon Network and Fox Kids. These networks passed on the show, believing the series' premise was too complex to succeed.1 Povenmire persisted and later pitched the series to Nickelodeon, where it was considered by high-level executives but rejected again as too complicated.1 Then, after 16 years of trying, Povenmire landed a pitch with Disney. The network did not immediately accept the show, but told Povenmire they would keep the packet. Povenmire assumed this meant an end to negotiations, aware that the phrase usually "means they throw it in the trash later." Disney then surprised him by accepting.17 Said Povenmire, "Disney was the first to say, 'Let's see if you can do it in 11 minutes.' We did it in the pilot and they said, 'Let's see if you can do it for 26 episodes.'"3 Povenmire was initially worried that his work on Family Guy (an adult show known for its lowbrow humor) would concern Disney, which markets primarily towards families. However, Nickelodeon's Senior Vice President of Original Series, Adam Bonnett, was a Family Guy fan who appreciated Povenmire's connection to the show and received his pitch well.3 In 2006, after Nickelodeon accepted the show, Povenmire and Marsh turned their attention to the company's overseas executives. Instead of a normal script, the two drew out storyboards and played them in a reel. Povenmire voiced over the reel with his dialogue and added sound effects. This novel approach secured the executives' support. It would be made by Frederator Studios. Production Writing style The show uses four major writers to devise story ideas according to "strict guidelines", such as that the boys' schemes never appear to be "magical." Stories are reviewed at weekly sessions on a Monday, then simultaneously scripted and storyboarded. A very rough design is built before the storyboard, featuring little more than suggested scenes and dialogue, is drafted; the writers then gather for a "play-by-play" walkthrough of the storyboard in front of the whole crew, whose reactions to the jokes are assessed before rewrites are made.24 The writers as well include running gags in every episode, which are generally lines spoken by characters.125 Almost every episode is set into two eleven-minute segments.26 Visual aspects and animation Rough Draft Studios in South Korea, Wang Film Productions in Taiwan, and Synergy Animation and Hong Ying Animation in Shanghai animate the series in 2D Animation using the software packages Toon Boom.27 Povenmire undertakes the bulk of production direction, along with Zac Moncrief and Robert Hughes.28 The series adopts artistic features from animator Tex Avery, such as geometric shapes integrated into characters, objects, and backgrounds. Dan Povenmire said of this inclusion, "There's a little bit of Tex Avery in there-he had that very graphic style his later cartoons."10 Triangles are featured as an easter egg in the background of every episode, sometimes in trees or buildings.8 right colors are also a prominent element of the animation. Marsh elaborates, "The idea at the end of the day was candy. One of the things that I think works so well is that the characters are so bright and candy-colored and our backgrounds are a much more realistic depiction of the world: the soft green of the grass, the natural woods for the fence. In order for all the stuff that they do to work, their world needs to be grounded in reality." The designers sought to keep their characters visually simple, so that kids "would easily be able to draw them themselves." Characters were also crafted to be recognizable from a distance, a technique the creators say is based on Matt Groening's goal of making characters recognizable by silhouette.8 Cast Phineas and Ferb are voiced by Vincent Martella and Thomas Sangster, respectively.29 Sangster was one of many British actors cast; Marsh lived in the United Kingdom for seven years, and developed a fondness for the British.30 The rest of the cast includes Ashley Tisdale as their sister, Candace; Bobby Gaylor as Buford van Stomm, who has a tendency to bully but is kept distracted by being included in the adventures; Maulik Pancholy as Baljeet Tjinder, a very intelligent boy who would be Buford's main victim but who is almost friends with him due to the adventures; Dee Bradley Baker as Perry the Platypus and just plain Perry, as Phineas calls him; Caroline Rhea as Linda Flynn-Fletcher, who is Phineas and Candace's mother, and stepmother to Ferb;29 Jack McBrayer as Irving who admires Phineas and Ferb, and creator of the Phineas and Ferb Fansite; Kelly Hu as Candace's best friend, Stacy;30 creators Dan Povenmire as Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh as Major Monogram, respectively; Olivia Olson as Dr. Doofenshmirtz's not-really-evil daughter Vanessa; Tyler Mann as Carl, Major Monogram's goofy super genius intern; Alyson Stoner as Isabella Garcia-Shapiro, a sweet girl who leads the Fireside Girls and has a crush on Phineas (it is revealed that Isabella's family is "Mexican Jewish" and lives across the street from the Flynn-Fletchers); Mitchel Musso as Jeremy, Candace's crush then later her boyfriend; Madison Pettis stars as Adyson Sweetwater. The show's casting organization is responsible for selecting most of the voice actors and actresses, choosing actors such as Vincent Martella and Mitchel Musso for major roles based on perceived popularity with target demographics. Povenmire and Marsh select guest stars, casting people that they "really want to work with". They also solicit guest roles from actors they feel would lend an interesting presence to the show.23 Guest stars have included pop culture figures like Damian Lewis, boxer Evander Holyfield, film stars Cloris Leachman and Ben Stiller, and pop singer Kelly Clarkson. Povenmire and Marsh have also solicited Tim Curryand Barry Bostwick, stars of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, to make guest appearances, while creator Richard O'Brien voices Lawrence, Ferb's father and Candace and Phineas's stepfather. O'Brien's participation eventually became regular, as he was cast to play Lawrence Fletcher, the children's father, who appears in about half of the episodes in the show.31 Top Gear stars Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James Mayall guest starred in a race-car themed episode as commentators.32 Other guest stars include Tina Fey, Seth MacFarlane, David Mitchell, Jaret Reddick, Clay Aiken, Chaka Khan, and Kevin Smith.3133 Reception and achievements Reviews The show has received generally positive reviews. The New York Times commented favorably, describing the show as "Family Guy with an espionage subplot and a big dose of magical realism". It considered the pop-culture references ubiquitous "but placed with such skill that it seems smart, not cheap."9 Whitney Matheson wrote in her USA Today blog "Pop Candy" that the series was an achievement in children's programming. Matheson applauded the writing and called it "an animated version of Parker Lewis Can't Lose."34 Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media praised the show's humor and plot, giving it four out of five stars.35 The Seattle Times wrote that the story of the show was "valiant" and that the main characters of Phineas and Ferb were "young heroes".36 Variety noted the show's appeal to all ages with its "sense of wit and irreverence."37 Similar reviews have emphasized the series' popularity with adults; Elastic Pops Rebecca Wright wrote, in a review for the volume one DVD, "As an adult, I really enjoyed watching this Phineas and Ferb DVD, and I think it is one that the whole family can enjoy." Wright also called the series' "irreverent style" reminiscent of The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle.38 Wired's Matt Blum has stated in reviews on the series that he "can stand to watch just about anything with his kids, but he actually looks forward to watching Phineas and Ferb with them."7 Notable adult celebrities who have openly considered themselves fans of the series include Bob Eubanks, Anthony LaPaglia, Ben Stiller, Chaka Khan, Jeff Sullivan and Jake Gyllenhaal.394041 Among the negative reviews is one that charges the series with a lack of originality. Maxie Zeus of Toon Zone argued that the show is "derivative, but obviously so, and shorn of even the best features of what has been stolen." Zeus took issue with the writing, feeling that certain jokes and conventions were "ripped-off" from other shows.42 Kevin McDonough of Sun Coast Today criticized the show for its plot complexity, constant action, and "characters that can do just about anything." McDonough stated that "it's never clear whether P&F are intended to entertain children or are merely a reflection of grown-up animators engaged in a juvenile lark."43Marylin Moss of The Hollywood Reporter described Phineas and Ferb as "Pretty mindless but kids of all ages might find a humorous moment in it." Moss called the plot lines redundant but did praise the music styles and guest stars.44 Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz gave a positive assessment for Phineas and Ferb in their 2016 book titled TV (The Book), stating that "In television, formula often seems to come from a lack of imagination. ... Phineas and Ferb though, managed at the same time to be wildly imaginative and slavishly formulaic, using its repetitive structure not as a crutch, but as a sturdy framework on which it could hang all kinds of fantastic new ideas." They further added that "the characters' awareness of that formula, and any deviations from it, quickly became one of the show's most fertile sources of humor."45 Ratings The first episode, "Rollercoaster", garnered a total of 10.8 million viewers when aired as a preview on August 17, 2007.46When Phineas and Ferb officially debuted in February the next year, it proved cable's number one watched animated series premiere by "tweens". Throughout the first quarter that followed, it peaked as the top-rated animated series for ages 6–10 and 9–14, also becoming number three animated series for all of cable television for viewers age 6–10.29 By the time the commissioning of the second season was announced in May 2008, the series had become a top-rated program in the 6–11 and 9–14 age groups.47 Nickelodeon's airing of "Phineas and Ferb Get Busted" was watched by 3.7 million viewers.48 The episodes "Perry Lays an Egg" and "Gaming the System" on Nickelodeon achieved the most views by ages 6–11 and 9–14 of any channel in that night's time slot. This achievement propelled the series to the number one animated telecast that week for the target demographics.49 On June 7, 2009, Nickelodeon announced that the show had become the number one primetime animated television show for the demographics 6-10 and 9-14.13 The premiere of "Phineas and Ferb's Christmas Vacation" garnered 2.62 million viewers during its debut on Nicktoons, the most watched telecast in the channel's history and the number three program of the night in all demographics. It received 5.2 million viewers for its debut on Disney Channel. It was the highest rated episode of the series to date and 5th highest for the week.505152 The premiere of "Phineas and Ferb: Summer Belongs To You!" garnered 3.862 million viewers, was watched by 22% of kids 2–11, 13% of teens, 5% of households, and 3% of adults 18–49, also being the #1 program on that night and it was 25th for the week in viewership.5354 On Nicktoons, the episode ranked in the channel's top 3 telecasts of the year in viewers with 1.32 million, and Boys 6–11 with 365,000, with a 2.9 rating. The hour telecast on August 2, 2010 is currently the Emmy-winning animated series' No. 2 telecast of all time on Nicktoons in Total Viewers, in kids 6–14 with 677,000 and a 1.9 rating, Boys 6–14 with 435,000 and a 2.3 rating, and kids 6–11 with 542,000 and a 2.2 rating, Boys 6–11 and Boys 9–14 235,000 with a 1.9 rating, behind only December 2009's "Phineas and Ferb's Christmas Vacation".55 Marketing and merchandise Viacom has licensed a number of products from the show, including plush toys of characters Perry, Ferb, Phineas, and Candace.56 Nickelodeon released several T-shirts for the show and launched a "Make your own T-shirt" program on its Nick website.57 Authors have novelized several episodes.58 Two season one DVDs, entitled The Fast and the Phineas and The Daze of Summer, have been released; the discs include episodes never broadcast in America.5960 A third DVD was released on October 5, 2010, called A Very Perry Christmas. In 2009, THQ licensed a Nintendo DS game, titled like the show, Phineas and Ferb. The game's story follows the title characters as they try to build a roller coaster to stop boredom over the summer (in reference to the show's pilot episode). The player controls Phineas, Ferb and occasionally Agent P (Perry the Platypus). Phineas scavenges for spare parts for the rollercoaster while Ferb fixes various objects around town, gaining access to new areas as a result. Ferb can also construct new parts of the rollercoaster and its vehicle-themed carts. Each activity features a short mini-game.616263 The game was well received and garners a 76.67% on GameRankings.64 A sequel entitled Phineas and Ferb: Ride Again was released on September 14, 2010. Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh have also announced that there is a Phineas and Ferb Wii game in development.65 It was later confirmed that this game would be a video game adaptation of the TV movie, also available for Nintendo DS and PlayStation 3.66 In 2013, Nickelodeon commissioned Majesco Entertainment to create the newest Phineas and Ferb video game, which released in August 2013, entitled Phineas and Ferb: Quest for Cool Stuff, which is available on Xbox 360, Wii U, Wii, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DS.6970 Category:TV Shows Category:EvanRocks Wiki